Shloka 27
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
मा राजन् क्रोधवशं गम: प्रसाद॑ कुरु नाहसि मण्डूकानामनपराधिनां वर्ध॑ कर्तुमिति । श्लोकौ चात्र भवत:--,“राजन! आप क्रोधके वशीभूत न हों। हमपर कृपा करें। निरपराध मेढकोंका वध न करावें।” इस विषयमें ये दो श्लोक भी प्रसिद्ध हैं--
mā rājan krodhavaśaṃ gamaḥ prasādaṃ kuru nārhasi maṇḍūkānām anaparādhināṃ vadhaṃ kartum iti | ślokau cātra bhavataḥ— “rājan! āpa krodhake vaśībhūta na hoṃ | hampara kṛpā kareṃ | niraparādha meḍhakoṃkā vadha na karāveṃ” |
“Wahai Raja, jangan dikuasai amarah. Tunjukkan anugerah; tidak patut bagimu memerintahkan pembantaian katak-katak yang tak bersalah.” Tentang hal ini, dua bait yang masyhur juga dikutip: “Wahai Raja, jangan ditundukkan oleh murka. Kasihanilah kami. Jangan perintahkan pembunuhan katak-katak yang tanpa salah.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should not act under the domination of anger; dharma requires restraint and compassion, especially toward the innocent. Power must be guided by prasāda (grace/calm benevolence), not krodha (wrath).
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, an appeal is made to a king to stop an anger-driven act—specifically, the ordered killing of blameless frogs. The passage reinforces the plea by noting that two well-known verses are traditionally cited on this very point.